So we’ve had to update the War Comes Home embeddable American Casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan widget for the second time in two days. At a federal court hearing of a class action lawsuit brought by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who allege inferior treatment from the VA, a high ranking VA official revealed 299,585 veterans of the “war on terror” had gone to the VA for medical treatment as of September 30, 2007. Approximately 1.7 million Americans have served in the two wars. As of January 18, 2008 the VA says 799,791 had already been discharged from the service. At least 243,034 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have filed a disability claim with the government.

What’s the reason for these high casualty rates? Consider this: In Iraq and Afghanistan about 15 American soldiers are wounded for every fatality, compared with 2.6 per death in Vietnam and 2.8 in Korea.

So in other words, instead of being killed young Americans are coming home severely physically and psychologically wounded.

Did you know?

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The International Red Cross estimates 70 to 90 percent of Iraqis incarcerated by the US military were arrested by mistake.